Steel Dynamics Inc’s (SDI) new $1.9-billion flat-rolled steel mill in Sinton, Texas, could be the first electric-arc furnace (EAF) facility to produce exposed-grade automotive material, the company’s top executive said.

The publication of Fastmarkets’ chrome ore South Africa UG2 concentrates index basis 42%, cif China, $/tonne and ferro-chrome lumpy Cr benchmark indicator, charge basis 52% (and high carbon), Europe, $/Ib for Tuesday October 27 were delayed because of a reporter error.

There are reasons to believe the worst is over for a domestic steel market rattled by the Covid-19 pandemic, Nucor Corp president and chief executive officer Leon Topalian told attendees of Fastmarkets’ Steel Success Strategies Online conference on Monday October 26.

Australian spodumene producer Altura Mining has entered receivership, according to a filing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Monday October 26.

Mongolia shipped twice as much metallurgical coal to the Chinese market than Australia in September, confirming its position as the key supplier of the steelmaking raw material to China.

Fastmarkets proposes to amend the specifications of its premium hard coking coal indices to align more closely with the most prominent low-vol products traded in the spot market. These amendments will apply to both the fob DBCT and cfr Jingtang indices.

The London Metal Exchange will launch a lithium contract based on the monthly average of Fastmarkets’ price assessment for lithium hydroxide monohydrate, it said during an online briefing on Thursday October 22 as part of the annual LME Week event.

A global boom in home appliance sales during the Covid-19 pandemic is causing a shortage in flat steel supplies in China, and in turn supporting prices, Fastmarkets has heard.

London Metal Exchange three-month base metals prices were trading up on the previous day’s close during the morning session on Wednesday October 21, boosted by hopes of an imminent US fiscal stimulus package and increased government-sanctioned Chinese infrastructure spending.

Half of the base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange have in recent days risen to multi-month highs, with copper reaching levels not seen since June 2018, and all of the metals are pushing higher this morning, Wednesday October 21.